Naive gardeners always ask for the best soil for gardening in pots. They love plants, generally lack space for gardening on the earth directly; therefore, they look at container gardening. Container gardening has become popular among plant lovers with limited space to grow herbs, shrubs, vegetables, and flowering plants. Container gardeners require best soil for their plants to flourish. We have explained in our article “cheap container gardening ideas” about the various ways to fulfil container gardening needs. Here, in this article, we further discuss potting soil which was briefly told to you in the above blog post.
There are various key factors to be considered in making the best gardening soil for gardening in pot that is not just soil. We are discussing these major points below.
POT SIZE
The size of pot should always be best for the type of plant you are planting. The size of new pot should always be two times the size of the pot in which the plant is already planted. Size of pot is important as depending on the size the amount of potting soil is decided as well as plants need to get the required space to grow their roots inside the potting soil mix.
DRAINAGE HOLE
Gardening in pots has the foremost requirement of good potting soil. The best soil for gardening in pot is high-quality soil through which water drains off easily. You must first make sure your container/pot has an appropriate sized drainage hole to allow water to drain out easily from the pot. If water gets logged in the pot the whole plant will die due to root rot. Therefore, it is important to have a good size drainage hole so that the soil can provide all the nutrients to your plants.
POTTING SOIL
There are readymade potting soils available in nurseries and in gardening stores both online and offline. We prefer making our own potting mix as it reduces the cost as well as makes us a pro in gardening. You can choose any method that suits you well.
The best soil for gardening in pot should always be well drained consisting of high quality potting soil ingredients to provide the best nourishment to plants. You must check your potting soil mix with hands; if it feels soft and non-sticky on hands then it has been prepared well.
The potting soil mix that we prepare for our home garden consists of soil (dirt), river sand, vermicompost, neem cake and/or epsom salt. If you have epsom salt you can use it else potting soil will do well without epsom salt also. Most of our plants are without epsom salt. Nowadays, as an experiment, we are using epsom salt to check the difference. Results will be notified in another article later.
There are other components that you can use; we keep them in an optional section such as perlite, vermiculite, peat moss, and cocopeat. The usage of these depends on the type of plant we are planting, without the aforesaid mediums also plants can flourish well.
We do not prefer perlite and vermiculite as they are non-renewable resources. As far as peat moss and cocopeat are concerned, we avoid using them due to their heavy water retention quality. You can use them if you can manage the issue of wetness. You can use a moisture meter to control the wetness caused by these mediums.
The proportion of each ingredient is calculated as per the size of the container/pot being used to plant. Below we are giving you a picture to calculate the amount of your own potting mix ingredients.
BEST SOIL FOR GARDENING IN POTS WITH ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS
| Component | Portion of Pot |
|---|---|
|
Soil (Dirt) |
35% |
|
River sand |
35% |
|
Vermicompost |
25% |
|
Neem cake |
5% |
|
Epsom salt (optional) |
one tablespoon |
BEST SOIL FOR GARDENING IN POTS WITH PEAT
| Component | Portion of Pot |
|---|---|
|
Soil (Dirt) |
30% |
|
River sand |
30% |
|
Vermicompost |
25% |
|
Neem cake |
10% |
|
Peat Moss/Cocopeat |
5% |
|
Epsom salt (optional) |
one tablespoon |
WHERE TO GET COMPONENTS FOR YOUR POTTING SOIL MIX
SOIL/DIRT: You can get them either from nurseries or from construction sites where the earth has been dug up. Nurseries will provide at cheaper rates while at construction sites you may need the permission only to fill it in your rug. You can yourself dug up soil from the land that lies unused such as riverside. Check with your local authorities if they do not have any problem with you taking soil/dirt from the land.
RIVER SAND: River sand can be purchased at low rates from construction stores in your area. You must purchase river sand which is clear of any pebbles. If not available, you can buy other sands and clear it from pebbles with a sieve.
COMPOST AND NEEM CAKE: You can purchase compost from nurseries or garden stores in your area. It is available in online market too. Always purchase high quality compost and neem cake as they are key ingredients for your plant growth.
REST OF THE COMPONENTS: Epsom Salt, Perlite, Vermiculite, Peat Moss, Cocopeat are available in nurseries and garden stores. They are readily available in online stores also.
HOW TO PREPARE POT FOR PLANTING
Follow the following steps to prepare your pot for planting:
- Once you have got all the components for your potting soil add all the products according to the above chart. You must mix all of them well before filling the soil mix in the pot.
- After mixing, you must pour them in the container/pot halfway.
- Now take the plant and place it on top of the soil. Adjust the height of the plant by adding or removing the potting soil in such a way that 2 inches space will be left above the pot when you fill the pot with additional soil mix (step 4).
- Once the height of plant is adjusted perfectly in the pot with soil mix, fill additional soil mix around the plant.
- Always leave empty space above the soil mix to keep room for water and for adding fertilizers in future for proper maintenance of plant.
You can check out the video below to further understand the procedure.
We have given you the details about the best soil for gardening in a pot. In addition, love is the greatest treasure you can give to plants. Every plant needs love just as any being on the earth. Prepare the best soil for plants with a heart full of love, they will certainly grow well. We hope your plants do well in the potting soil you prepare for the plants with love.